The build-up to Christmas is about giving and sharing, which should really be the norm all year round. Women, poverty, homelessness, typhoon survivors. This was the focus of the fund-raising efforts that women in an international congress did for the Philippines.
In the last International Treinale of the Federation of Business and Professional Women (BPW) held in Jeju island, Korea earlier this year, the MCM luxury bag pop-up fundraising booth was a success. Not only were the bags, wallets and accessories highly luxe, but part of the proceeds was being donated by Korean women leader and entrepreneur Soong Joo Kim, the dynamic mission-oriented CEO of the MCM luxury bags brand and power behind the Soong Joo Group.
Soong Joo is a rock star in her own right. Her passion is being actively involved in helping women’s leadership, supporting humanitarian causes worldwide and her outspoken stance against corruption. After making her fortune in licensing European luxury lines in Asia, she took over MCM, the German luxury brand in 2005 and turned the company to profitability focusing on the Asian market specifically Korea and China. Soong Joo has been on the watch-list of Wall Street Journal as one of the Top 50 women to watch in the world, identified by CNN in 2003 as a “new century leader” for the Best of Asia. She is now also with the Korean Red Cross.
A friendship with Ambassador Delia Albert through the years has cemented a relationship strongly rooted in the advocacy to help women be empowered. I was introduced to Soong Joo, this stylish, inspirational lady, during a number of Global Summit of Women Fora in Turkey and Greece. Then, I have gotten to know her better in a couple of intimate post-Christmas dinners at the home of Washington SyCip. Soong Joo spoke in Jeju during the BPW International and promptly offered the sales of her bags to the Philippine typhoon survivors for homes to be built through Habitat for Humanity (HFH) Philippines.
Little did Soong Joo know that this donation was not just for homes but would be the start of a special local project of BPW Makati with Habitat for Humanity. There can never be enough houses for the poor of the country. By handling over the donation of approximately P840,000, the BPW Makati will ensure that the design of the homes be disaster resilient, using sustainable materials, maximizes functionality and be beautiful, too!
Enthusiastic members quickly created a project task force group to make sure the houses are built specifically for women head of households, single mothers, or who are the sole-earners of their family. There is a symbolic representation of how a home represents the self. When a woman strives to own her own home, it is said that she has “come home to herself.” These chosen women would also bring in their own sweat equity in building their homes.
This home-building will likewise be aligned to the GREAT Women phase 2 development program to see how our women beneficiaries enhance livelihood skills and be given support either through product development and/or financial literacy programs. The GREAT Women Platform (the “GREAT” acronym means Gender Responsive Economic Actions for the Transformation of women) carries the spirit of women helping women — be this through enterprise support, capacity building and yes, building homes, too.
Soong Joo’s financial donation is symbolic of other women’s choices to help others and also becomes instrumental and inspirational to trigger others to also expand and spread this good. It is good energy moving good energy forward.
Women organizations have their unique contribution to economies and societies. Through the BPW Makati, we have become aligned to the International Federation of Business and Professional Women’s Network in more than 100 countries with more than half a million membership. The full force of this organization, powered by volunteerism, highlights the power that women together can have to network among, and empower women worldwide.
We have seen how issues from the gender pay gaps, women’s rights in the workplace, the push for women in decision-making roles at all levels, women’s human rights in conflict and calamity areas and so much more are addressed, advocated for, discussed, shared and debated on. Guided by the empowerment principles set forth by the United Nations Women Agenda, BPW is a major voice that seeks to localize in each country or locality women’s empowerment principles.
(Note: Other donations that came in through BPW Makati for Philippine typhoon survivors included $3,000 from BPW Japan, $2,910 from BPW International and AUD$600 from BPW Belmont, Australia. These were given as aid to calamity victims.)